Tony Hsieh's (Zappos CEO) SXSW '09 Presentation

I was blown away listening to Tony talk about their customer service principles. They don't hide behind email support systems or obnoxious phone switch boards. The telephone is the central nervous system of their customer support efforts, and it's handled by real people here in the states.

I think too many companies are more worried about their bottom line, than the long-tail benefits of premium customer service and what it means for sustainability and growth.

It was also interesting to note what ALL new hires much go through before acting on their core job duties. It's a 5 week process that includes everything from taking orders to intern-level work. Even the executives must spend 2 weeks in their TN warehouse doing low-level packaging and shipping.